‘Russell muscle is back’ – Fans react as Andre Russell’s all-round heroics propel West Indies to victory over England in 1st T20I

Although the format has changed, England’s white-ball woes have not changed. West Indies, after a comprehensive 2-1 ODI series win, now outclassed Jos Buttler and Co. in the first T20I of the five-match series. The home team registered a thrilling four-wicket win at the Kensington Oval, Bridgetown in Barbados on Wednesday (December 13), and it was their beast, Andre Russell, who returned to the national side after two years, did the job.

Russell was adjudged Player of the Match for his all-round heroics that helped Windies to complete their highest successful T20I run-chase at the venue. The right-arm pacer picked up three wickets for 19 runs in his 4 overs in the first innings. In the second innings, he hammered a 14-ball 29, including the winning boundary off the first ball of the 19th over while chasing 172 runs.

Speaking after the match, Russell revealed that he’d been dreaming of becoming the POTM on his comeback. For the uninitiated, the 35-year-old has played a T20I game for the first time since the 2021 T20 World Cup.

“Life is so funny. When I got selected for the West Indies team, I kept dreaming for 2 weeks, since I got the call-up. I was dreaming that I would be the Man of the Match in the first game. I didn’t know how it would happen, but I kept believing. And it has happened tonight,” said Russell.

Always a good feeling to bat on with Rovman Powell: Russell 

Russell was well-supported from the other end by skipper Rovman Powell, who scored 31 runs off 15 deliveries. The duo put on a partnership of 49 runs for the seventh wicket. Russell said that Powell supported him in the middle, adding that they backed themselves to finish the match by batting deep.

“With Rovman Powell, it’s always a good feeling to bat on. He supports you all the way and being a captain, he himself contributes a lot, with a few of the big hits. It was all about batting in pairs; we both have power, and we knew we could finish off the game if we batted deep,” Russell added.

Here’s how fans reacted to Andre Russell’s match-winning performance in the 1st T20 against England: